His Baby Machine

His father died

Chapter 14

His father died.

The clouds had disappeared from the sky, leaving the way clear for the sun rays to touch the ground. Two men, who worked at the cemetery, were going to open the ground. The friends and family of the deceased had gathered there. Two men stood up from the grave they had dug. The priest began his speech, reminding the living of who now rested inside the coffin. In the first row were the close friends, and the family of the deceased was one step ahead near the grave. His stepdaughter and his little boy were consoling his widow, who was crying restlessly under her black veil. 

Before the coffin touched the ground, a man in a dark blue suit appeared, holding the hand of a woman dressed in black with a black jacket to protect her from the cold breeze. 

He came and stood beside the family of the deceased, took off his dark spectacles, and intertwined his fingers with the woman standing beside him. 

"Brother, you came," the young man left his mother's side and came to meet the man in the dark blue suit, who reluctantly let go of the woman's hand to hug his little brother. 

"Agustin, bro," the rich voice of a girl who left her mother alone now that he had come. 

With their arms around each other, they stood like that until the two men covered the coffin with mud. The woman with the black veil stood alone as she watched her kids standing beside her nephew, forgetting about their mother. 

She had done everything for them to hate him since they were kids, but alas, she seemed to fail.

Her eyes fluttered at the woman standing behind her parents' arms that cocooned her in their soft embrace.

As soon as the priest uttered the last words, the crowd began to disperse, until only the family remained, including the new addition.

"I wish we hadn't met under these circumstances, dear, but we can't fight destiny," said the woman with the black veil as she courteously hugged the woman in the dark dress.

"Indeed, we can't fight destiny. It would have been an honor to meet my husband's father."

"He would have loved you, Maya, just like he loved Maribel." The woman gently touched Maya's face, but was quickly pulled away a bit roughly.

"It doesn't matter anymore if he would have loved her or not... he is gone, Auntie," Agustin spoke, holding Sarahi closer.

"You're always pragmatic, aren't you, Agustin."

"Just as life has taught me, Auntie."

He didn't wait for more empty conversation. He dragged Sarahi out of there, but she missed a step and almost fell to the ground. He quickly held her, preventing her from another mishap. She tightened her arms around his neck.

But instead of moving, he stood motionless with his face buried in her neck, inhaling her lavender scent.

Realizing that she was his whole world now, he whispered, "I will send you to meet someone else now," and held her in his arms as they continued their walk, passing the hill. There was a beautiful tree that, though currently leafless, displayed its mighty branches, showcasing how glorious it might have looked in summer days.

The closer he got to the tree, the tighter he hugged his precious wife. When they arrived at the end of the stone road that led there before the tree, he let her separate from his body. She was enthralled by the breathtaking view around her, but once she was face to face with the tree, her amber eyes looked down.